Friday, October 21, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Slow Tempo
Final focused workout this morning. Couldn't make up my mind about whether or not it would be on the track. Finally decided on an unmarked stretch of Rock Creek Trail (paved portion) that I mapped to be 3.5 miles. Would have been happier if it had passed in under 25 (close to MP), but with no feedback it was hard to gauge my pace. 9 miles in 1:12:49, with the quicker 3.5 in 25:42. The slower-than-expected split put a damper on the rest of the run, but I'm over it. Leg protested a little but is feeling better.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Right leg felt a little iffy Monday morning, so I opted for a bike commute instead of a run commute. Hit the 5-mile uphill section of the CCT in about 15:30, which is pretty good considering I had a load of fresh picked apples on my back and haven't been riding all that much lately. Ride home was lower key.
Yesterday morning I did my 7-mile RCP trail loop in about 58 min. Tried to keep it low key but ended up moving quicker toward the end. Noticed the right calf but eased up throughout the run and felt better afterwards.
Went easy on the treadmill this morning. 4.5 miles, 39 min. Leg irritation was minimal at worst. Feels better now, and legs in general are moving pretty smoothly. Followed up with some single leg squats on the balance board.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Extreme Tapering
Just a quick check in. Unfortunate, as I had a lot on my mind today that I wanted to jot down. Maybe it'll come out over the course of the week.
Right shin/calf has calmed down after a full week of no running. Friday I got out for about 6 (50 min) and yesterday was the last long run before MCM. 16.5 in 2:17. Focused on going slow. Windy, sunny, and parched. Not that comfortable of a run and I was probably dehydrated and definitely hungry.
Today was one of the better runs I've had in a while. About 80/20 dirt to pavement ratio, kept it mostly slow, but I felt some momentum come back today after the short layoff. Beautiful day, and a refreshing end to an otherwise shitty week. Resolved numerous times this week not to run the marathon but I think I'm back on the wagon.
Not thinking of weekly mileage anymore as it's kind of depressing to look at it that way (a mere 30 miles last week and 40 the week before) but focusing on what I can do to hold onto what I got for another two weeks. Mostly that's rest and recovery, but I'll squeeze one last pacing workout in, probably on Wed or Thurs. So much for a gradual taper.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
One step forward...
Hit the track this morning.
Descending ladder (2000-1600-800-400) with moderate long recoveries (2000) in between. Fast intervals and recoveries went like this (pace/mile in parentheses):
7:49 (6:17) / 8:36 (6:55)
6:09 (6:11) / 8:37 (6:56)
2:58 (5:58) / 8:42 (7:00)
1:26 (5:46) / 8:42 (7:00)
I didn't quite hit my target of 8:45/2000 on the recoveries, and the first recovery lap was always slower than the remaining four. Still, solid workout and I'm satisfied with how it went. The recoveries weren't all that challenging but clearly the faster intervals impacted the latter times. I chose 8:45 (7:02/mile) based on feedback I've been getting that suggests I might be able to hold that pace over a long distance (i.e. marathon). Not sure today is the best indicator, but it gives me a sense of my overall fitness at least. 12 mi, 1:27:56.
Took a step forward today, but looks like that was followed by a few steps back. Some irritation I've had inside my right calf/shin was markedly intensified after running today. It's a crappy reality but I'm not comfortable continuing with this until it feels better at rest (hurts to walk right now). Today's run was a gamble, and it seems the odds weren't in my favor. I have 23 days until the marathon, and most of the work has been done. So, not ideal, but hoping this clears up fast and I can get back in time for a proper taper.
Descending ladder (2000-1600-800-400) with moderate long recoveries (2000) in between. Fast intervals and recoveries went like this (pace/mile in parentheses):
7:49 (6:17) / 8:36 (6:55)
6:09 (6:11) / 8:37 (6:56)
2:58 (5:58) / 8:42 (7:00)
1:26 (5:46) / 8:42 (7:00)
I didn't quite hit my target of 8:45/2000 on the recoveries, and the first recovery lap was always slower than the remaining four. Still, solid workout and I'm satisfied with how it went. The recoveries weren't all that challenging but clearly the faster intervals impacted the latter times. I chose 8:45 (7:02/mile) based on feedback I've been getting that suggests I might be able to hold that pace over a long distance (i.e. marathon). Not sure today is the best indicator, but it gives me a sense of my overall fitness at least. 12 mi, 1:27:56.
Took a step forward today, but looks like that was followed by a few steps back. Some irritation I've had inside my right calf/shin was markedly intensified after running today. It's a crappy reality but I'm not comfortable continuing with this until it feels better at rest (hurts to walk right now). Today's run was a gamble, and it seems the odds weren't in my favor. I have 23 days until the marathon, and most of the work has been done. So, not ideal, but hoping this clears up fast and I can get back in time for a proper taper.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Come What May
Family stayed in town until this morning, but they were at a conference Monday which meant I went to work. Ran 8.3 miles there (69 min) and 7 miles back (54 min) and was pretty mushy at happy hour with the sisters-in-law. Opted out of the local bar tour after dinner and instead plopped my tired ass in bed. Neither of these runs were all that fun, but each had its moments where I felt kind of decent.
Slept in on Tuesday, and although I thought I'd sneak a run in during the afternoon, I ended up cruising around the mall on my bike with the fam all day. Pretty fun day and probably needed the break.
Not sure I believed I would actually get a run in this morning. Just feeling the miles lately and this leads to a whole cascade of other thoughts and feelings that for the past couple days has ended in me feeling sorry for myself. I've been diligently seeking a bigger picture focus that is sometimes so hard to grasp. It seems one of those times happens to be during the final weeks of a tough training cycle. I did make it out though, and I felt better for having done so. Commuted to work the long way, 13 miles in 1:41:36. Actually felt pretty good out there today. On the C&O Canal Trail, another runner came up alongside me and we ended up chatting a bit. She's training for MCM, hoping to break 3 hours, and I told her my only benchmark was a crash and burn at Grandma's in June.
It's got me thinking. Tomorrow is a planned track day with a pacing focus, and we'll see what comes of that.
Slept in on Tuesday, and although I thought I'd sneak a run in during the afternoon, I ended up cruising around the mall on my bike with the fam all day. Pretty fun day and probably needed the break.
Not sure I believed I would actually get a run in this morning. Just feeling the miles lately and this leads to a whole cascade of other thoughts and feelings that for the past couple days has ended in me feeling sorry for myself. I've been diligently seeking a bigger picture focus that is sometimes so hard to grasp. It seems one of those times happens to be during the final weeks of a tough training cycle. I did make it out though, and I felt better for having done so. Commuted to work the long way, 13 miles in 1:41:36. Actually felt pretty good out there today. On the C&O Canal Trail, another runner came up alongside me and we ended up chatting a bit. She's training for MCM, hoping to break 3 hours, and I told her my only benchmark was a crash and burn at Grandma's in June.
It's got me thinking. Tomorrow is a planned track day with a pacing focus, and we'll see what comes of that.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Perfect Ending
Have a little down time here before dinner with some out-of-town family. Wanted to update before I lose momentum. I had a 22-23 miler on the schedule for yesterday. After a pretty full week I was a bit intimidated by the distance. Met up with Rob in RCP where we began a customary trail loop, the one that begins uphill and winds up headed south on the flat Valley Trail.
And it looks like the dinner bus is boarding, so I'll have to pick this up when I return.
***
Back from dinner, and now I'm looking to get to bed. So it goes.
Long story short is that the 8ish-mile trail loop went by quickly, as it often goes when running with good company. Split was 63 minutes or so. Bid farewell to Rob and took off along the 15+ mile N Capitol-Beach Dr loop I've come to know this year. Ran quicker than I thought and despite feeling the week's miles in the form of some achiness, I was done with the 23+ mile run in exactly 2:59. Longest run since Grandma's in June, and it felt good to nail it. Could've been hitting sub-7 min miles toward the end there but I don't have the time or the motivation to verify this with gmaps. Given that the whole run went by quicker than expected, I'll just trust my instinct. So that's another solid long training run down. One more to go until I can start cutting back. For the record I'll note that I ate a banana about 1.5 hours before starting, and took a gel at about the 2-hr mark. Felt like this made a difference in the latter miles. I've been toying with the idea of restricting carb intake immediately before and during longer runs, which I think has had the effect of increasing fat-burning efficiency. It wasn't far fetched for me to eat a gel every 45 minutes during long runs in the past, and this just seems excessive anymore. The whole business of consuming 200-300 calories per hour seems like something a gel vendor would promote. Who knows? Maybe I'm missing something.
Today was perhaps the perfect ending to a long week, and featured an easy 48 minutes on a mix of roads and trails with Julie, my future sister-in-outlaw (short story: sister-in-law whose marriage is not legally recognized). Great to go easy, great conversation, and great crisp fall weather. Conservatively calling it 5 miles.
While I'm certainly feeling the mileage, I can't deny that both yesterday and today mark some pretty good progress in my training. Feeling good about that, and feeling like I can get through another tough week of runs before tapering down. Hit about 76 miles this week, won't be looking for much more than 70 through next weekend.
And it looks like the dinner bus is boarding, so I'll have to pick this up when I return.
***
Back from dinner, and now I'm looking to get to bed. So it goes.
Long story short is that the 8ish-mile trail loop went by quickly, as it often goes when running with good company. Split was 63 minutes or so. Bid farewell to Rob and took off along the 15+ mile N Capitol-Beach Dr loop I've come to know this year. Ran quicker than I thought and despite feeling the week's miles in the form of some achiness, I was done with the 23+ mile run in exactly 2:59. Longest run since Grandma's in June, and it felt good to nail it. Could've been hitting sub-7 min miles toward the end there but I don't have the time or the motivation to verify this with gmaps. Given that the whole run went by quicker than expected, I'll just trust my instinct. So that's another solid long training run down. One more to go until I can start cutting back. For the record I'll note that I ate a banana about 1.5 hours before starting, and took a gel at about the 2-hr mark. Felt like this made a difference in the latter miles. I've been toying with the idea of restricting carb intake immediately before and during longer runs, which I think has had the effect of increasing fat-burning efficiency. It wasn't far fetched for me to eat a gel every 45 minutes during long runs in the past, and this just seems excessive anymore. The whole business of consuming 200-300 calories per hour seems like something a gel vendor would promote. Who knows? Maybe I'm missing something.
Today was perhaps the perfect ending to a long week, and featured an easy 48 minutes on a mix of roads and trails with Julie, my future sister-in-outlaw (short story: sister-in-law whose marriage is not legally recognized). Great to go easy, great conversation, and great crisp fall weather. Conservatively calling it 5 miles.
While I'm certainly feeling the mileage, I can't deny that both yesterday and today mark some pretty good progress in my training. Feeling good about that, and feeling like I can get through another tough week of runs before tapering down. Hit about 76 miles this week, won't be looking for much more than 70 through next weekend.
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